Why do we eat?

The answer to this question may seem a little obvious. Yes, food is fuel. But we also turn to food for other reasons. Some. Use food as a means of celebration - cakes, surprise dinners out, Christmas. Others use food as a crutch to help them through darker times. Comfort eating is well known and now, almost accepted as a reason for weight gain. Food helps us come together, or it can separate us, depending on your view of the world. 

In my world, food is an experience. I enjoy classic flavours, experimenting with high quality ingredients and trying new things. I believe every meal should be significant.

Breakfast is a celebration that you've woken from another night of sleep, or a tool to help you feel slightly more alive than you should after a night out. 

Lunch is the meal you should be looking forward to after doing a few hours work. Or, it's best enjoyed with a friend over a bottle of wine. It should be filling and yet light enough so you don't fall asleep at your desk! My favourite is a salad with fresh leaves, cooked and cooled baby potatoes or pasta, some meat like chicken or maybe a flaked salmon fillet, and dressed in rapeseed oil and balsamic vinegar, along with some salt and pepper. 

Dinner. Now, there's a weird one. Some suppers I have to eat on my own, and some I get to share with the other half. It all depends on the shifts we are both working. If I'm on my own, I may well have a baked potato, tuna mayo and cheese and comfort food, or if I know I'll have company, I'll make a traditional fish like Toad in the Hole, or beef and bean chilli. 

We have so many reasons for eating in Britain, and also Scotland. But, I believe the idea of bringing a dish to an event had died out. I'd love to have a light where all my close family and friends got together and, instead of one person cooking, everyone brought their favourite dish with them to make a huge and varied buffet. Maybe, I'm stuck in the past. Maybe, I'm living in a dream world. But I'd love to see this happen more often. Make food the proper centre of every celebration.